David Frensley’s Sumner County business, the K-9 Psychology Center, has gone to the dogs in the last decade – literally hundreds of them. In fact, he’s often called the “dog whisperer of Tennessee” for his vast knowledge of canine behavior and ability to communicate with the animals.

Frensley started his business 12 years ago after training bomb-sniffing dogs for the federal government for use in airports. Located in Castalian Springs, Frensley, who calls himself a dog psychologist, primarily makes house calls for local residents who find themselves at wit’s end with their four-legged family members.

“Our mission is to educate as many people as possible on how to get their dogs to behave the way they want them to, and to rehabilitate dogs with behavioral issues to hopefully keep as many as possible from being surrendered to rescue shelters or picked up by animal control,” Frensley said.

Canine cases

The most common dog problem, he said, is aggression.

“Our specialty is rehabilitating dogs with aggression issues,” said Frensley. “There is no one else in the area that will work with dogs that are aggressive to other dogs or people. All the vets in the area that we work with recommend those types of cases to us.”

Frensley said the biggest reason for dog aggression is lack of socialization when they are puppies and owners empowering their dogs. A recent client was fearful she would lose her overly-aggressive pit bull, Matilda June, that displayed a high prey drive – a penchant for chasing, and sometimes harming, anything that moved, including other animals.

“The owner had given the dog stuffed animals and that brings out aggression in dogs,” Frensley said. “When they are shredding these (stuffed) animals and hearing the squeaking, in their mind they are killing. She had called me crying because everybody told her the dog needed to be put down.”

It took about 10 sessions with the dog and owner, but the story ended as a happy one.

“When she was finally able to get her Canine Good Citizen award, she just broke down and cried again,” Frensley said. “Now the dog goes everywhere with her.”

For Matilda’s owner, Jenyfer Lindahl of Gallatin, the help she received from Frensley was life changing.

“If you told me a year ago I would have her around other dogs and people, I would have laughed,” said Lindahl, of the stray dog she found on the side of the road. “We think she was abused and was a bait dog – part of a fighting ring. When I was first able to take her to the dog park to play with other dogs, I cried because I never thought it would be possible. David’s patience with her was incredible.”

Another client was having trouble with her dog that became aggressive when going through drive-thru windows.

“We spent a whole session going through the drive-thru window trying to get the dog not to bite,” said Frensley. “He thought they were trying to hurt him or his owners. He finally realized he would get a treat at the window. We redirected his behavior.”

Other problems Frensley treats include barking, chewing, digging, jumping on people, pulling on a leash, anxiety issues and crate training.

Self-taught dog expert

Although Frensley never formerly attended college to study animal behavior, it was obvious to many early on that he was a natural when it came to communicating with dogs.

“I started out helping friends with dogs with behavioral issues and it just grew from there by word of mouth,” Frensley said. “I learned mostly from experience and learning to read the dogs and understanding how the dogs think.”

On occasion, Frensley has also been known to rescue an animal that no one wants to keep – like the Redbone Coonhound that came to him loaded with aggression.

“Five years ago, the owner brought him to me with a muzzle on and a vet said he should be put down,” Frensley said. “Like most of the dogs we get, we were his last chance.”

It took Frensley five days before he could put a leash on the dog, but the patience paid off.

“Now he plays with my grand kids and helps me with the other animals that come here,” Frensley said.

There has only been one dog Frensley was not able to rehabilitate and it was later found the animal was suffering from a brain tumor.

Importance of owner's behavior

In addition to home visits, several group classes are also available at the business, including the American Kennel Club S.T.A.R. Puppy program and the AKC Canine Good Citizen class, both of which teach dog owners responsibility and teach obedience and manners to the dogs. Also offered are video calling, email and phone sessions for pet owners.

Frensley also works with Sumner County Animal Control evaluating some of the dogs prior to adoption and works with several local rescue groups.

It’s all about the person, not the animal, Frensley said, that can determine how a dog acts. For instance, pet owners whose dogs go wild when they leave or return to the home should ignore them to improve the behavior.

“Ignore your dog 15 minutes before you leave and 15 minutes after you get home,” said Frensley. “We make a big deal out of leaving, so they make a big deal out of it and we have subconsciously taught the dog to do that.”

Frensley said he feels blessed to be able to make a difference both for the dogs and their owners.

“So many of our clients call or email us asking for our help and telling us that we are their last hope; that if we can't help them, they will have to put them to sleep or re-home them,” Frensley said. “It is so satisfying seeing them enjoying the very same dog again.”

For more information, visit the K-9 Psychology Center at k-9pc.com or call 604-6038.